Barriers of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers attending primary health-care centers in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) describes infants who were only breastfed for 6 months. Many Saudi mothers have suboptimal breastfeeding practices. Therefore, this study aims to assess breastfeeding knowledge and determine barriers to EBF among mothers attending primary health care centers in Jazan City. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done that included all mothers attending the PHC centers. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Most study participants understand breastfeeding's health benefits for babies and mothers, but most believe that synthetic milk is the best alternative for working mothers to feed their babies. A percentage of 66.7 of mothers practiced breastfeeding during the first 6 months of the child's life. EBF shows a significant relationship with knowledge and barriers. Sixty percent of mothers have never had any information about breastfeeding; the primary source was from their mothers and only 31.4% from hospital staff. Most respondents disagreed with statements of barriers to EBF, which elicits an unexpected response. Conclusions: Most participants have good knowledge concerning breastfeeding benefits for both mother and infant and disagreed on the mentioned barriers for EBF that include lack of breastmilk, deficiency of information, and working conditions.

The New Kid on the Block: The Mechanisms of Action of Hyperleptinemia in Coronary Artery Disease and Atherosclerosis.

Leptin is an adipocytokine that consists of 167 amino acids. It functions as a regulator of hunger and energy expenditure. Leptin loses its ability to carry out its physiological function at high serum levels, and many studies have associated this loss of function with the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). This literature review aims to outline the steps by which leptin leads to CAD and atherosclerosis. Two independent researchers extracted animal and human studies from PubMed and Google Scholar databases. We applied PubMed search builder options: pathology, pathophysiology, metabolism, and physiology to focus the search results. This study concluded that the mechanism by which leptin might lead to CAD via pressor and depressor effects on vascular tone, enhancing atherosclerotic plaques, and through numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms, the most common being that of the leptin receptor gene rs113701.

The Efficacy of Herbal Supplements and Nutraceuticals for Prevention of Migraine: Can They Help?

Migraine is a common neurological disorder associated with or without aura. Although the pathophysiology of migraine is not very well understood, pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress biomarkers are found to be increased in migraine. Multiple studies have been done to see if alternative medicine such as herbal supplements and nutraceuticals are effective in the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches. This review aimed to evaluate the effect of supplements like coenzyme Q10, riboflavin (vitamin B2), feverfew, and magnesium on the frequency, severity, and duration of migraine attacks. We performed a thorough literature search using mainly PubMed. We included studies published in the last 10 years, those conducted among adult human participants 18-65 years of age, and those published in the English language. Based on the articles selected for the final review, we concluded that herbal supplements and nutraceuticals help reduce the frequency of migraine headaches; however, mixed results were seen regarding the severity and duration of headaches. Moreover, there were no concerning side effects with these supplements. Therefore, physicians can suggest herbal supplements to patients who experience adverse effects from pharmaceutical drugs and desire a more natural treatment.